Crack! "Ahhhhh!" "I want you to think about your answer very carefully." Terrifying sounds leaked out of Zack's room. All the members of Dust House were standing in neat orderly rows, waiting for their turn as they shivered in fright. Luna stared at the floor.
She hated this feeling. Zack was forcing them to wait while making sure they could hear the sounds of torture. They stood nervously as they were waiting to be called, preparing for the torture that would follow. Just like a herd of chickens being forced towards a chopping block.
Crash! A bloodied body flew out of the room as it crashed towards the floor. The boy twitched in pain as he lay on the floor. "Next! Every second you are late equals another minute of pain." Luna was ushered into the room with nine other people.
"...Yeah, you're right. That's why I'm doing this. It's all so that the lower classes start behaving. We haven't whipped them into shape yet." Creak! The door opened as they were pushed inside. "Please take of your watches!" Zack smiled at them. His tone didn't match his face.
"Butch, gather them up and check them." A tall, bulky boy lumbered towards them as he snatched the watches from their quivering arms. Beep! Beep! "Sir, this watch isn't unlocked." Zack frowned. "Oh is it? That's not nice. Whose watch is it?" "Hers" Butch pointed at a purple haired girl.
"Hey, you! Come here!" The girl's face paled as she shivered in fright. She took a step forward. "Why wasn't your watch unlocked?" "M...my watch? I..I didn't k...know that I h...had..." "Didn't know? What do you mean? You thought that it was okay to hand over your watch like that?"
Zack rushed towards her and grabbed her throat as he lifted her into the air. "Ack...urgh..." "Listen here. Everything in Dust House is my property. Every single thing you own belongs to me. So tell me..." He slammed her against the floor. "Cough!" "...why couldn't I access my watch?" "I....I..." "Hold her!"
Two boys stepped forward and grabbed her arms. "The moment you gave me that watch, you disrespected me. And disrespect isn't something we tolerate at Keystone." Zack mimicked Elizabeth's way of speaking. He grabbed one of her fingers.
"I think breaking all of your fingers will be enough compensation for your disrespect, won't it?" Crack! "Ahhhhhhh!" The girl screamed in pain as Zack started breaking her fingers. Crack! Crack! "Ahhhhhh!" "Ahhhhh!" Luna grimaced as she averted her eyes. Crack! "Ahhhhh!"
"There, there. All done." He dusted his palms against each other. "Hu...hu...hu." The girl breathed heavily as she fell to the floor. Tears streamed down her face. "I don't remember allowing you to scream, though. You made way too much noise. Butch, tell me, do I allow you to speak without my permission?" Zack kept looking at her as he spoke to Butch.
"No, sir. You own everything over here, including our mouths. I wouldn't dare." "See? This is the kind of respect I demand. I shouldn't be asking for this. You should recognise your low worth and give yourselves up peacefully!" "No....please...." "I never allowed you to make a sound. Yet, you keep on opening that filthy mouth of yours. I can't stand this disrespect. Grab her again."
"No..no..NO!" Zack raised his arm. Crack! "Ahhhh!" Crack! "Ahhhh!" He slapped her face as her bones started to crack. "Help....Help....Please....Please!" The girl's cries dwindled as Zack continued to smack her. Crack! Crack! Crack! She had already stopped moving, yet Zack continued to beat her mercilessly.
Luna bit her lip as she stared down. She wished that she would say something....anything, yet she couldn't find the courage to do that. "You'll always be a nobody." These five words echoed through her head as she balled her fists. Yes, she was a nobody. She couldn't even save somebody who was being hurt in front of her.
Luna took a deep breath. It was suffocating. The feeling of not being able to do anything. The realisation that she was forced to be a spectator and could not do what she wanted. She loathed herself for this. She desperately hoped that she'd change, that some magical experience would make her a stronger person, yet it never happened.
Crack! Crack! "Take her to the med bay! Make sure she doesn't die!" Zack barked at them in dismissal. Luna stepped forward and lifted the purple haired girl onto her back. She was the only one who had moved. Tap...tap...tap. She dragged her feet as she walked out of the room with the others.
"Hey, I just wanted to say, what you did back there was pretty cool. I'd never be brave enough to help her. I think that's really admirable of you." A boy looked at her as he smiled awkwardly. Luna returned a cold gaze towards him. Admirable? She wanted to laugh. What was admirable about that? What was so great about standing still as somebody was tortured and then helping them after the danger had passed. She wasn't great. She wasn't amazing. She was just a pathetic person who made herself feel better by doing something like this.
Creak! She pushed open a set of doors as she headed towards her room. She despised everybody in this godforsaken school. She despised the teachers. She despised the students. She even despised herself. She hated everybody because she knew how things were going to change in the next few days. How she would be rejected by everybody.
She punched the wall. Maybe that's why she helped the purple haired girl. Perhaps she was hoping that somebody would stay by her side. Her intentions were never pure. And she would be betrayed. No, betrayed was the wrong word. Because betrayal only happened when there was trust. And trust was something she never had.
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Ethan walked up to the counter and turned in the Spinalonus' tooth. "Please wait a moment." The woman placed the tooth inside a machine that analysed and verified it to be a Spinolanus' tooth. "Here are 15 points." Beep! Ethan's watch lit up as the number of points increased. "May I know which class you are in?" The woman smiled at him.
"Um...Class 10." Ethan didn't smile back. "Haha! That's a nice joke!" Ethan continued to stare at her expressionlessly. "Haha.....Wait. Are you serious? You're in Class 10." All traces of laughter disappeared from her face. "Why? Is that a problem?"
The woman stuttered. "You...you....Haah, never mind. Have a nice day." She smiled at him awkwardly. Ethan frowned. What a weird lady. He turn around as he started walking towards the door.
"Excuse me!" A sweet voice pierced through the air, calling out to Ethan. He turned around. A tall girl will shoulder length silver hair and blue eyes was looking at him. She was stunningly beautiful, like a fairy straight out of a fantasy book. Her pink lips were slightly wet, reflecting light and making her look even more beautiful.
Ethan stuttered. "Ye...yes?" He stared dumbly at her. "Can you please tell me what your name is?" She gave him a dazzling smile. Ethan stiffened. He had an inkling of who she might be. He regained his composure. "I'm sorry. I don't recognise you. Have we met before?"
The girl smiled. "Pffft....Hahahaha! Of course we haven't. Don't you think you'd remember me?" Ethan had to agree. He'd definitely remember meeting such a beautiful girl. He slapped himself inwardly. No. He couldn't fall for her charms. "Well then, if you'd excuse me."
He turned around, trying to leave. Crackle! Suddenly, Ethan couldn't move his feet. His feet were encased in a thin layer of ice, stopping him from moving. A chill ran down his spine. The ice wasn't strong enough to stop him. He could easily break through it. But there was only one person who could wield ice powers this way. "Misty Gloss?" He turned around and looked at her bewilderedly. Tap...tap...tap. Here feet pounded on the floor as she walked towards him. Ethan gulped.
The Gloss family- a Mage type family that was a part of the five great families. And this girl was their sole heir. An ice mage who awakened her innate ability before she reached F rank. A G-10 rank awakener who was on the brink of becoming an F rank awakener. She was in Class 1 and was ranked fifth in KGS. She was renowned for being a cold-hearted heartbreaker who tossed aside boys like used toys.
Most people tried to curry favour with the five heirs as a means of strengthening themselves. But they never touched Misty. Because she always took much more than she gave. Getting involved with her was dangerous. It was like walking on thin ice. Once you started walking, escaping was difficult. All you could do was keep walking and hope the ice never broke.
"So tell me, boy." She smiled at him. "What's your name?"